Friday, December 29, 2006

The Fourth Annual Artists’ Evening of Sharing with Brisbane Artists is calling for entries! This year's event will be held Saturday, February 3, 2007. Artists of all varieties have an opportunity to share their talents with the Brisbane Community during an evening of inspiration and enchantment. Each artist will present a short slide show, video or performance of music, dance, theatre or spoken word. For entry forms and information about the event, contact Beth Grossman at beth@bethgrossman.com. Entry forms are also available on the City's website.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

At 8:00am today the Department of Public Works responded to a water main break near the intersection of San Bruno and Mendocino. Water was seen to be bubbling up through the groud under the pavement, indicating the location of the leak on Mendocino. Investigations were conducted to pinpoint the exact location of the water main break so that the DPW crew could being digging. Before doing so, it was verified that no other underground utility lines would be affected by the digging equipment.A full-circle break on a 6" cast iron pipe was discovered, which was replaced by a cut section of PVC piping. The water main was then tested by the DPW crew, after which they backfilled the hole.Almost half of the breaks in any given year occur in December, January, and February. Increased soil pressures, caused by freezing, thawing, and shifting, affect weak spots of a water main, causing breaks. We're just glad our DPW crew was able to respond so quickly to today's break, and we thank the local residents for their patience as well.

Thursday, December 14, 2006

You may have noticed the cement foundation that has been laid down at the corner of San Bruno and San Francisco Avenues (across from the Community Park) and wondered what was going to occupy that space. Commercial businesses? Residential housing units? The answer is yes to both. A 2- to 3-story mixed-use project is being built, with commercial businesses and a parking garage on the ground floor, and 15 residential units occupying the floors above. Six one-bedroom units, ranging in size from 817 to 945 sq. ft. in floor area, will be located on the second floor, with 9 two-story units occupying the second and third floors. Four of the two-story units will have one bedroom and range from 899 to 936 sq. ft. in area, and the remaining 5 two-story units will have two bedrooms and range from 1,162 to 1,226 sq. ft. The stuccoed building’s color scheme will be similar to that of the Visitacion Gardens Senior Apartments, dark tan with bluish-green, off-white, and brownish taupe trim. The builder hopes to have the project completed by the end of year 2007.

The project was designed to be as environmentally sensitive as possible, incorporating solar power, energy-efficient appliances, and walls with high insulation value. The builder has selected materials to provide a healthy indoor environment and reduce the demand on natural resources. Because of lower utility and maintenance costs, the residential units are expected to be more affordable than those in other buildings. Of the 15 residential units, one unit will be constructed so as to be fully accessible for persons with disabilities. The sales prices for two units will be restricted in perpetuity so as to maintain their affordability for a low-income household and a moderate-income household (as set by the California Department of Housing and Community Development for San Mateo County). The other units will be subject to a right of refusal by qualified first-time homebuyers under the City’s first-time homebuyers program.

At the time of this posting, there had not been any requests for a business license, so it is still uncertain the nature of the businesses that will be occupying the first floor. Whatever the case may be, the City is excited about the positive feedback it has received from its community members expressing their opinions that the building will be a definite improvement for Brisbane.

Friday, December 08, 2006

As a member of the City/County Association of Governments (C/CAG), which deals with issues that affect a city’s quality of life (in areas such as transportation, air quality, stormwater runoff, etc.), the City of Brisbane is entitled to request for the allocated federal grant funds set aside for Brisbane, given project funding needs. One of these funds is the Surface Transportation Program (STP), which is used specifically towards street improvement projects. $31,000 had been allocated by C/CAG for Brisbane’s STP Fund, but with $100,000 being the minimum grant amount a City may apply for, the City would have had to pay an additional $70,000 just to receive the $31,000 in federal grant assistance. Also, these funds would only allow for California state streets to be improved, which in Brisbane consists of only Guadalupe Canyon Pkwy and Bayshore Blvd. Because the City, including the Public Works Department in this situation, aims to serve the residents of Brisbane, the City did not apply for federal grant assistance. Rather, it is the City's intent to use its funds towards making any necessary improvements to the streets used more frequently by locals. When the City of San Bruno learned of the City’s decision, they offered Brisbane a portion of their Gas Tax Fund in exchange for Brisbane’s allocated STP Fund, which, otherwise would have been relinquished had the City not applied for them.

Seeing this to be a great opportunity to increase the City’s revenue base, Brisbane agreed to San Bruno’s offer, and under the terms of the Exchange Agreement, the City of Brisbane will transfer to San Bruno $31,000 in STP Funds in exchange for $23,250 of San Bruno’s Gas Tax Funds. The net effect is an increase in the gas tax revenue received by the City, further contributing to the City’s General Fund. This leverages the City to be in a better position financially, and able to further meet the needs of its citizens.

Friday, December 01, 2006

The date of the 25th Anniversary Party for the Library and Community Center will be on Sunday, December 10th from 1:00-5:00pm, not December 5th. We apologize for this mistake, and hope to see you at the Community Center as we celebrate this Brisbane milestone!

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